‘Van Gogh Up Close’ at Philadelphia Museum of Art

“Van Gogh Up Close,” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, examines the artist’s relationship to nature at its most intimate.

Nature in the City: A wintry visit to the Lyman greenhouses

Once, years ago, I was in Iceland in December. The sun rose at 10 a.m. and set at 2 p.m. The landscape, volcanic and lunar, was a black and white monochrome. Traveling over the terrain to view a frozen turquoise waterfall, we came to a greenhouse heated entirely by thermal springs. Moist, warm air enveloped the vibrant and colorful blooms amidst clouds of green leaves.